This is the last post about our exhibition. Showing general photos of the exhibition.

Another very talented member of our COOTS group is Amanda Hasselman. Amanda’s background started with various handcrafts and specifically wool felting, she has now moved to fabric and thread as a means to ‘paint’.

At the time leading up to our exhibition there was fierce debate going on regarding a proposed tunnel to be constructed between Glenorchy (where Amanda lives) and Milford. These three pieces were in response to that. Here is her blurb from the catalogue:
Our iconic World Heritage status at the Head of the Lake is being challenged by a proposal to construct a tunnel between the Routeburn and the Hollyford valleys. Our National Parks are too precious to vandalise; these works are inspired by early tourism posters, which promote a slower pace of travel, with time to smell the beech trees. Recycled blankets have been appliquéd with hand dyed silk and silk velvet and densely stitched.

The following photographs are of the exhibition pieces of another COOTS member, Jenny Tayler, as you can see Jenny loves colour and is not afraid to use it. Jenny’s fibre background is in quilting, although she is a great embroiderer, baker, farmer etc.

I’m sorry about the lighting in the photographs, the gallery lighting does not make it conducive to taking great photos

This “UPSTREAM OF THE HERD” exhibition showcases how each of the members has developed their chosen media by producing this outstanding exhibition of fibre related art.

As mentioned above, we have a challenge for each exhibition and this one was called Woodpile. One member gave everyone a photograph and we were to interpret it in our own way. 

This was the photograph, and here is the blurb in the catalogue about this challenge.

The challenge was to use the photograph as a starting point and create a work of art that interpreted the woodpile as we each saw fit with no limits on colour, shape, size or kind of material that could be included. 

Here are some of the pieces members created to answer the challenge.

Here is a link to COOTS member Angela Meecham’s blog regarding our opening and more photos.

I may have mentioned previously that I am a member of a group called COOTS (Central Otago Outside The Square), not old coots as my children have called it!! We have 12 members from around the Central Otago district and we get together 4-5 times a year. We have two 3-4 day retreats one in May and one in Sept/Oct each year, the other times we get together are at Christmas and then in February and sometimes during August. One of our retreats is to work on our own projects and one is to have a tutor and educate ourselves further. We have an exhibition every two years around March. The following few posts will be of our last Exhibition in March 2013.

These four pieces are part of a series of mine called ‘I am from…’ based on a poem of the same name written about where I grew up and incorporates family traits, sayings and traditions.

 I am from … II

 I am from … III

I am from …. IV

The following photos are for those who did not manage to get to symposium. These are some of the winning quilts, I’m sorry they are not in any order. All images are clickable to see more detail, enjoy!

Viewers Choice and Excellence in Machine Quilting Domestic  – Kapiti – Chris Kenna

Jeanette Gillies – Merit

Tania Nyboer – Stroll in the Park – Amateur Traditional Excellence

Camilla Watson – Garden for a Minimalist Apartment Professional Art Excellence

Camilla Watson – Custard Square – Suitcase Award

Clare Smith – City Map – Suitcase and Merit Awards

Clare Smith – A change in the Weather – Merit Award

Alison Laurence, In A Flash – Merit

Rosemary Rush, Retro Razmatazz – Remarkable Use of Colour

Griet Lombard, Block-a-day Therapy – Excellence Professional Innovative

detail

Robin Halverson, Low Tide – Merit

Gael O’Donnell, Currahee – Excellence Bed Quilt

Ansa Breytenbach, Te Timatanga (The Beginning) Best of Show

Detail

Helen Beaven, Painted Chocolate Blocks Excellence Amateur Innovative

Liz McKenzie, Gondola Over Wakatipu – Suitcase and Merit Awards

MaryAnn Georgiou, Herakles The Labours of a Quilter Merit and 2nd Viewers Choice

Amanda Hasselman, For Freedom – Merit

reverse side

Juliet Fitness, Merino Muster, Dont forget the Dog – Merit

Natalie Murdoch, Pack up your troubles in an old Kete – Winner ANZAC Challenge

Jean McLean, Spirit of the Gum – Suitcase Award

Lesley O’Rourke, Celtic Wave – Excellence in Machine Quilting – Long Arm Computerised

Philip M Ward/ Quarryburn Quilting, And then came Colour Excellence Commercially quilted – quilting

Mary Fletcher, Floral Boquets – Merit

Mary Fletcher, Sweet William – Professional Traditional Excellence

Debby Williams, Starlight Sonata Opus 8 Miniature Excellence

Debby Williams/Barbara Paton, Citrus Sorbet Group/collaborative excellence

Barbara June Paton, Bushfire – Excellence in Machine Quilting Long Arm Computerised

Fyvie Murray, Baltimore Album VI with Stars – Merit

Wendy Ward, Michael’s Quilt – Merit Award

Wendy Ward, A Woman’s Place – Merit Award and Suitcase Award

Wendy Ward, The Raven, Winner Fibrelicious Challenge

Chris Tait, This is the Story of a Girl – Judges Award

Barbara Kaverman, Texas Depths of Field – Merit

Meryl Caudwell, Flowers from Ricky – Merit

Marge Hurst, In my Retirement – Best Traditional Quilt

Donna Cumming, Africa Excellence Comercially Quilted top/piecing Award

Barbara Bilyard – Merit

Heather McLean – Hellebore Sampler – Amateur Art Excellence

Lyn Ogle, A Day’s Catch – Best Non-Traditional Quilt

Ruth Wheeler – Winner Remarkables Challenge

Heather Harding, Welsh Traditions – Excellence in hand Quilting

Suzet Pont – Entwined – Merit

The following quilts were not prize winners but were stunning

Fyvie Murray, Balimore Album VII

Robyn Parkinson, Boned Corset

Janice Dowdeswell, Delphinium I

Merrilyn George – Two is Company, Three’s a Crowd

Heather Harding, Feathered Circles(Miniature) – Suitcase

Jenny Tayler Pink and Green

Chris Kenna Bronze Feathers

Jeanie O’Sullivan – Albert Picks Roses for Victoria

Griet Lombard, Sunset at Waitarere Beach

Alison Laurence – Journey South

Barbara Kaverman – Once in a Blue Moon

Jenny Tayler – Rainbow Starburst

Gosh has it really been this long since I have posted eeekkk. The blogs I have been reading seem to be posting pictures of things they have recently completed, so who am I to buck the trend here are some recently completed pieces to  be exhibited at the Festival of Colour in Wanaka next week as part of the COOTS (Central Otago Outside the Square) group exhibition called “A Common Thread”. This series of work I call “Home and Soul Series’. The last one is very large and the photo has some glare on it. This next piece is my contribution to the raffle. We had to make something to go into a basket for a raffle prize. 

The pictures below are two recently completed projects, one a glasses case using Wessex embroidery taught by Gay Eaton at a workshop

And these are of my recently completed Hussif. I have been a stitcher and sewer for so long and have finally made this to carry all my necessary tools.

Outside

Inside

Partially closed

Fully closed (front)